Constitution Challenge

Making a Poster: The Bill of Rights and Other Key Amendments

Overview
In this lesson students will review their paraphrases of the Bill of Rights, look at amendments that are not part of the Bill of Rights and make a poster that shows the meaning of the amendment.

Standards — Social Studies
Grade 8
Government, Benchmark B

6. Explain how specific provisions of the U.S. Constitution, including the Bill of Rights, limit the powers of government in order to protect the rights of individuals with emphasis on:

a. Freedom of religion, speech, press, assembly and petition.
b. Right to trial by jury and the right to counsel.
c. Due process and equal protection of the laws.

Materials
• Bill of Rights
• In Your Own Words handout (from prior lesson)
• Thesaurus and dictionary resources
• Paper or poster board

Procedure

Students should have completed the prior lesson (Understanding What the Bill of Rights Addresses) or should have an understanding of the Bill of Rights. They can use the worksheets from the prior lesson.
Have groups share their paraphrased versions of Bill of Rights and discuss which paraphrased amendments are most accurate and clear. Put these on poster board for each class.
Talk about the other amendments so that students understand that there are more than 10 amendments.
After the discussion, have pairs of students illustrate each amendment of the Bill of Rights on a sheet of paper or poster board. Make sure students do NOT include the number of the amendment on the illustration, as students will guess which amendment is represented by the illustration.
When students finish their drawings, have them lightly write the amendment number and their names on the back of each illustration and turn them in to the teacher.
Select amendment illustrations and post them around the room for students to guess which amendment is represented.
Have students choose an amendment that they are interested in. They are not limited to the first 10.

Evaluation
Poster Rubric

CATEGORY	4	3	2	1
Graphics — Clarity	Graphics are all in focus and the content is easily viewed and identified from 6 feet away.	Most graphics are in focus and the content is easily viewed and identified from 6 feet away.	Most graphics are in focus and the content is easily viewed and identified from 4 feet away.	Many graphics are not clear or are too small.
Content — Accuracy	At least seven accurate facts are displayed on the poster.	Five or six accurate facts are displayed on the poster.	Three or four accurate facts are displayed on the poster.	Less than three accurate facts are displayed on the poster.
Mechanics	Capitalization and punctuation are correct throughout the poster.	There is one error in capitalization or punctuation.	There are two errors in capitalization or punctuation.	There are more than two errors in capitalization or punctuation.
Graphics — Relevance	All graphics relate to the topic and make it easier to understand. All borrowed graphics have a source citation.	All graphics relate to the topic and most make it easier to understand. All borrowed graphics have a source citation.	All graphics relate to the topic. Most borrowed graphics have a source citation.	Graphics do not relate to the topic, or several borrowed graphics do not have a source citation.